Product Details

• Actors: Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Brömssen, Anki Lidén, Melinda Kinnaman, Kicki Rundgren
• Directors: Lasse Hallström
• Writers: Lasse Hallström, Brasse Brännström, Per Berglund, Reidar Jönsson
• Producers: Waldemar Bergendahl
• Format: PAL
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005B73K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,362 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "My Life as a Dog" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Simultaneously elegiac and raw, this uneven--but unforgettable--tearjerker tells the story of Ingemar, a 12-year-old working-class Swedish boy sent to live with his childless aunt and uncle in a country village when his mother falls ill. Beginning with several representations of the most savage, unsentimental domestic intensity imaginable (interplay between a sick parent and loving child has never looked anywhere near as explosive), My Life as a Dog wisely doesn't attempt to maintain that level of danger; rather, the change in locale to rural Sweden is accompanied by a slackening of pace and a whimsical breeziness. Nevertheless, the tragic condition of Ingemar's mother (and later, the indeterminate fate of Sickan, his beloved dog, consigned to a kennel) hovers over the narrative with a gripping portentousness. At times, director Lasse Hallström misplaces the rhythm, and the film threatens to degenerate into a series of rustic vignettes; luckily, Ingemar's relationship with Gunnar, the jocular yet somewhat sinister uncle who essentially adopts him, carries a fascinating charge. In Swedish, with subtitles. This was later rewritten, whether intentionally or not, by Spike Lee, who changed the gender of the child, set the story in New York City, added a 1970s soul soundtrack, and called it Crooklyn. --Miles Bethany

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite movie of all time., August 24, 2001

By 

alyosha "_alyosha_" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life as a Dog [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Few movies come this close to perfection. This is an intelligent and moving story of a boy who must come to terms with abandonment, loss and the casual betrayal of adults. Extremely well acted on all sides, with a bold script that dares to ask the important questions. Ingemar must try to find some balance in his life, as he is tossed from one "home" to another, like a stray dog... or, like the Soviet space-dog Laika, who was sent into space only to starve to death in orbit. "They never intended to bring her back." The final scenes of "My Life as a Dog" do win out, when the odd town's crazy old man takes a swim in the frozen river. The whole cast of peculiar town-folk come out to "rescue" him, and offer him a place by the fire, a blanket, a little whiskey... Here, Ingemar finds balance in the love of other people, so one is left, not with a sense of despair, but with a sense of hope in the midst of sorrow and loss.

Note: I recommend the subtitled version over the dubbed version, as the language and inflections should be experienced in full.

59 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When bad transfers happen to good films..., March 28, 2000

By 

Jason A. Thomas (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Life As a Dog (DVD)

This was so disappointing to me. "My Life as a Dog" was one of my all-time favorite films. I already had it on video, and wanted to have a cleaner copy on DVD, as well as some features.

! IT IS NOT, I repeat, *NOT* WIDESCREEN!

Worse, the transfer is grainy, and there seems to be little or no remastering. CRITERION would do a bang-up job on this film, it's just a shame that so many distributers can't get their act together and put a little effort into what they're doing.

If you want to hear commentary, see it in its original film ratio, or even see a decent transfer for heaven's sake, go to Criterion's web-site and send them a message that you want to see this film done right.

You might also go to Fox Lorber's web site, and let them know you expect more than VHS-on-a-disk. DVD, as a media, is in a critical state right now, and the studios are trying to see if the general public will accept bare-bones releases. We need to let them know that we won't.

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Criterion version came out March 11, 2003, March 12, 2003

By 

Brian J. Dworak "dvdaholic" (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Life as a Dog (The Criterion Collection) (DVD)

Any review of this DVD before that time is not worth evaluating. They may refer to the older DVD but they have nothing to do with the new Criterion. The Criterion is a far superior release in every way. The transfer is very nice, with warm colors and vibrant tones, albeit a tad soft at times. Audio is DD mono but serves it's purpose well. Extras include a 1973 film by the Director a new interview with him, a short essay by Kurt Vonnegut and the original trailer. Adults may want to screen this movie before letting their children view it as there are scenes with nudity and a few sexual situations. Then again if your kids watch foreign films then they are probably more mature than most! The only drawback I found was that about 45 minutes into the movie the subtitles start to lag behind the Swedish dialogue. This only lasts about two minutes but it can take you out of the story momentarily (hence 4 stars instead of 5). With that as the only caveat, there is no reason not to buy this wonderful new release of one of the very best childhood films ever made. Strongly recommended.